Physical Deformities in the Ruling Lineage of Palenque

Physical Deformities in the Ruling Lineage of
Palenque, and the Dynastic Implications
MERLE GREENE ROBERTSON
Robert Louis Stevenson School
AND
MARJORIE S. ROSENBLUM SCANDIZZO, M.D. AND
JOHN R. SCANDIZZO, M.D.
Los Gatos, California1
Early Maya sculpture tends to be linear, flat, and
purely symbolic, with accepted norms for representation of ancient dignitaries. Later Maya sculpture,
although still adhering to an iconographic language
of visual representation, does attempt to portray actual
individual rulers. Proskouriakoff (1960:454-475), in
her dynastic hypothesis, has shown that rulers from
Piedras Negras are portrayed on monuments, and that
their names and events in their lives are contained in
the hieroglyphic texts. She has also shown (1963:149167; 1964:177-201) that names and deeds of rulers at
Yaxchilan, namely Shield-Jaguar and Bird-Jaguar, are
inscribed on monuments on which they are portrayed.
These rulers at Yaxchilan are so readily recognizable
by their distinguishing characteristics, that there is no
doubt that these were intended to be portraits. In Late
Classic times and to some extent during the period
1
leading up to it, it became important, if not essential,
to legitimize Maya kings and their rights to rule by
proclaiming their kinship ties to their true or declared
ancestors. They did this by emblazoning their buildings and monuments with portraits of these professed
ancestors along with inscriptional texts pertaining to
their deeds of valor and ceremonies involving them
with their gods. Palenque, Rands (1973:204) brings
out, was "significantly earlier" than Usumacinta sites
in its "quantitative peak of monumental activities."
Palenqueño sculptors were unequalled anywhere in
their embellishing of buildings with portraits of kings
and ancestors.
Palenqueño sculptors were artists more skilled in
true portraiture than those of any other Maya center.
They had an extraordinary sensitivity to details and
physical attributes which became almost hallmarks of
Credit for the medical portion of this paper and much of the iconographic interpretation as well, is due John R. Scandizzo.
M.D. and Marjorie S. Rosenblum Scandizzo, M.D., internist and pediatrician, respectively, with interest in human physical deformities. The three authors are indebted to John J. Deller, M.D., Director of Medicine, Letterman General Hospital,
Presidio, San Francisco, for his help and suggestions concerning diseases referred to in this paper, and for generously supplying current photographs portraying persons with acromegaly. We are likewise indebted to Timothy Byron, D.P.M., Silas B.
Hayes Hospital, Fort Ord, California, for his time spent in valued diagnosis from Palenque photographs.
Merle Greene Robertson is indebted to Marjorie and John Scandizzo for their time, knowledge, and most of all for their overwhelming enthusiasm during the entire time that this paper has been in process. Any errors or portions of the paper with which
some may not agree must be attributed to M. G. R. In addition, she wishes to acknowledge the helpful suggestions of David
Kelley at the Dumbarton Oaks May, 1974, Palenque Conference concerning organization and argumentative presentation of
this paper. Floyd Lounsbury she thanks for reading this paper and giving many helpful suggestions, as well as generously
offering the use of some of his unpublished material.
As much of the material in this paper is the result of joint observations of Merle Greene Robertson and Linda Schele while
working together for three summers at Palenque, the author wishes to thank Linda for her part in the investigations.
2004(1976) Physical Deformities in the Ruling Lineage of Palenque, and the Dynastic Implications. Originally
published in 1976 in The Art, Iconography & Dynastic History of Palenque Part III, edited by Merle Greene
Robertson, pp. 59-86. Pebble Beach, California: Robert Louis Stevenson School. Electronic version: www.
mesoweb.com/pari/publications/RT03/Deformities.pdf.
1
individual rulers. These portraits incorporated ancient
techniques, including iconographic representations of
paraphernalia deemed proper for rank, but went a step
further and recorded physical traits, including deformities, as means of divine identification. Recording physical deformities in works of art of the ancient past was
not unusual, nor was it selective. Diseases have been
diagnosed from ancient art forms from Egypt, Greece,
Rome, France, Peru, and from Middle America.
Although the Greeks strove to portray the ideal in
human form, believing that the noblest type of body
approached divine beauty, they nevertheless depicted
persons in such meticulous detail that they recorded
blemishes in their features which have been diagnosed
as disease of individual persons as well as whole populations. Hart (1973:123-127) treats of tumors diagnosed
from ancient coins and notes a lesion on the foreheads
of first century Parthian Kings Orodes 1 and Phraates
IV, tracing these lesions through several centuries by
the coins. He also reports on coins dating from 425
B.C. depicting goiter in Sicily as well as Greece and
Asia Minor. Acromegaly, a disease that we will show
is depicted on sculpture at Palenque, is shown on a coin
portraying Ptolemy 1, ruler of Egypt from 325 B.C. to
285 B.C., notes Hart (1973:127).
The Greeks knew of deformities and disease,
those which should be treated and those which should
be left alone. Hippocrates, born in 460 B.C., legislator
of medicine, the "ideal physician" who traveled over
the Greek world preaching his medicine, knew of many
diseases and physical deformities. He was the first to
describe clubfoot and its therapy as he knew it.
Most cases of congenital club-foot are remediable,
unless the declination be very great, or when the affection occurs at an advanced period of youth. The best
plan, then, is to treat such cases at as early a period as
possible, before the deficiency of the bones of the foot
is very great, and before there is any great wasting of
the flesh of the leg.
Hippocrates
Depiction of physical deformities as means of portraiture in works of art is well known, one of the finest
examples being Raphael's Sistine Madona in which the
extended right hand of Pope Sixtus II clearly shows six
fully-formed fingers.
In pre-Columbian America, the depiction of both
deformities and disease is shown on hundreds of pottery figures, many of which Vérut (1973) illustrates
from Olmec, West Mexico, and Guatemala cultures,
and he points out the portrayal of possible tuberculosis,
smallpox, congenital syphilis, deep mycosis, sarcoma
of the eye, traumatic edema, puritus, and tumors, as
well as severe hunchback and other deformities.
Physical deformities in many civilizations were
considered divine attributes bestowed upon humans by
the gods. A group of congenital malformations known
as "Down's syndrome" or "mongolism," Milton and
Gonzalo (1974:33-37) feel is depicted in the Olmec figures. The unusual features of the "Down's syndrome"
baby may have been what the Olmecs saw as a personification of the were-jaguar, and this brought about the
belief that it was the copulation of a woman with a jaguar which produced a strain of were-jaguar people. The
nobility of the family may have been reinforced, they
believe "if the mother of the affected baby happened to
be a member of the priesthood or the wife of a priest"
(Milton and Gonzalo 1974:33-37). Ancestral ties to the
jaguar, in a belief system in which the jaguar was the
main totem, could easily be accounted for.
The depiction of physical deformities in sculpture
at Palenque may help to interpret the proposed dynastic
history of this site as submitted by Peter Mathews and
Linda Schele (1974) and Floyd Lounsbury (1974:6, and
1975). Also, as we shall show, the clubfoot deformity at
Palenque was probably the controlling force behind a
major belief system of the Late Classic Maya.
THE KNOWN DATA
PHYSICAL DEFORMITIES:
First we shall review the facts upon which our
arguments are to be based. There are a number of stone
and stucco sculptured figures at Palenque which show
physical deformities.
Fig. 1. North Figure 1 on the sarcophagus.
Acromegaly:
One deformity portrayed on sculpture is the abnormal-sized head and especially the elongated jaw, hang-
2
ing-open mouth, puffy eye and broad nose of Figure 1
on the north end of the Inscriptions sarcophagus tomb
(Fig. 1). The south end Figure 2 of the sarcophagus is
also carved with the same identifying characteristics.
The left seated figure on pier c, House A of the Palace
(Fig. 2) displays the same elongated jaw, as does to a
lesser degree the left seated figure of the Palace Oval
Tablet (Fig. 3). The progressive nature of acromegaly
makes it such that a person in his or her younger years
would not display the characteristics of the deformity
to the degree that would be visible later on. As this latter tablet is the accession stone of Lord Shield Pacal
(Schele identification 1974) this would be an earlier
portrait.
Clubfoot:
Another deformity portrayed on Palenque sculpture appears on pier b, House D of the Palace. Here
a person seated on a throne displays an abnormally
positioned left foot in which the sole of the foot is facing outward on the sculptured pier (Fig. 4). The left
leg is unusually thin in comparison to the right leg and
its length is somewhat shorter. We suggest that this is
the portrayal of a severe clubfoot. The figure carved in
stone on the Sarcophagus Lid (Fig. 5) also depicts an
abnormally positioned right foot, although it is not as
out of line as the pier b, House D foot. We will show
why we feel this is also a form of clubfoot and not a
misalignment due to poor draftsmanship on the part of
the artist.
Pier d, House D of the Palace (Fig. 6) also depicts
what we strongly feel is a representation of clubfoot
(Fig. 7) on the principal figure. We shall show why we
feel that this is a clubfoot and not a dance position as
has been previously proposed by others including the
author (Greene Robertson 1974). Also we shall show
why we feel that the Dumbarton Oaks Panel 2 (Fig. 8)
(obviously from Palenque) also is a portrayal of a ruler
with clubfoot.
A mother-of-pearl plaque (Fig. 9) from Simojovel,
Chiapas, now in the Tuxtla museum, has just been
discovered by Peter Mathews (1975) to be a portrayal
of a person with a severe clubfoot, who, in the hieroglyphic text on the reverse side, Mathews notes, is
named Pacal. The posture of the person portrayed on
the Simojovel plaque is very much the same as that of
the figure on the sarcophagus lid, Palenque.
2
Fig. 2. Left figure pier c, House A.
Polydactyly:
A standing male figure with six fingers on his right
hand is portrayed on pier d, House A of the Palace (Fig.
10). The Temple of the Foliated Cross south door jamb
displays a standing figure carved in stone that has six
toes on his left foot (Fig. 11). Both door jambs of the
Temple of the Sun exhibit male figures with six toes.
It is the left foot of the north jamb figure (Fig. 12) and
the right foot of the south jamb (Fig. 13) which have
six toes.2
A front-facing standing figure holding a baby
with six toes on the right foot is sculptured in stucco
on both piers b (Fig. 14) and c (Fig. 15) of the Temple
of Inscriptions (Greene Robertson 1974). Although it
is known that piers d and e also hold babies in like
positions, there is not sufficient stucco remaining to be
It was while Linda Schele was photographing the material in the bodega, Palenque, for the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia
e Historia, Mexico, that she came upon and identified the remaining portions of the jamb panels from the Temple of the Sun
and the Temple of the Foliated Cross, and at the same time noted that the standing male figures on each of these jambs did
indeed portray a personage with six toes. By glyphic texts, she later identified these as the ruler Chan-Bahlum.
3
that it be pointed out that, although glyphs 33-36 on the
north edge of the sarcophagus lid give the date 2 Cimi
4 Mol (9.8.19.4.16) for the interment (glyph 33) of a
person with the name glyph Turtle-Maize (Aahc-Kan
in Chol) at glyph 34 and designate this individual as an
ancestor ruler (glyph 35) with the Palenque Emblem at
36, this person is the only ruler listed in the ancestor
rulers' list on the edge of the sarcophagus lid edge who
does not have his portrait engraved on the sarcophagus itself. It is also important to note that there is one
individual (whose portrait and name are engraved on
the sarcophagus (Figure 1 on the west side) but who
apparently was not a ruler of Palenque (Fig. 24) but
whose name and interment date is on the sarcophagus
west edge at glyphs 37-40.
Fig. 3. Palace Oval Palace Tablet. Drawing by Linda
Schele.
able to determine physical characteristics of the babies,
although it seems safe to assume that these were the
same.
INSCRIPTIONAL TEXTS ALIGNED
TO SPECIFIC PERSONS
Adding to our known data are the birth and death
dates of a person important enough to have this record
carved on the edge of the Inscriptions Sarcophagus Lid.
It is assumed that these dates are the birth and terminal
date of the person interred in the sarcophagus. In addition to these dates there are other dates on the edge of
the sarcophagus, death dates of nine other individuals
which range from 9.4.10.4.17 5 Caban 5 Mac (A.D.
524) to 9.10.10.1.6 13 Cimi 4 Pax (AD. 683) as brought
out in Lounsbury's (1974:6) Table of Dates on the Lid
of the Sarcophagus Tomb (Table 1). Lounsbury (1974:
5) has demonstrated that seven of these dates "can be
equated with those which accompany the figures of the
persons on the sides of the sarcophagus." He also points
out (1974:5) Heinrich Berlin's (1959) convincing demonstration that the glyphs accompanying the figures
on the sides of the sarcophagus were these persons'
name glyphs. Individuals on the sarcophagus sides also
wear their names in their headdresses, as first noted
by Thompson (1967:18 and 20) and brought out specifically by Kelley (May, 1975 at the Dumbarton Oaks
Conference on Palenque). It is important to our thesis
It has been noted by Lounsbury (1974:10-11) that
two of the rulers listed on the sarcophagus lid edge
are women and that one designated as Lady Ik, whose
name glyph and interment date are at glyphs 28-30
on the eastern edge, ruled from 9.7.10.3.8 9 Lamat 1
Muan (A.D. 583) to 9.8.11.6.12 20 Eb 20 Ceh (A.D.
604). The other woman, Lady Zac-Kuk, is listed on the
sarcophagus edge at glyphs 44-47 and she ruled from
9.8.19.7.18 9 Etz'nab 6 Ceh (A.D. 612) to 9.10.7.13.5 4
Chicchan 13 Yax (A.D. 640) (Lounsbury 1974:15-16).
Both of these women's names are carved on the sarcophagus sides. The above-mentioned Lady Ik, whose
portrait is carved on the west side of the sarcophagus
at Figure 2 (Fig. 25), was first recognized as a woman
by Thompson (1967:19) and designated as 'lady maize.'
Lounsbury (1974:6) and Schele (1974a) agree and refer
to her by the Chol name Lady Ik, or Lady Kan-Ik.
The woman just referred to as Lady Zac-Kuk,
who is also mentioned on the sarcophagus edge, has
her portrait carved on both the north end Figure 1 (Fig.
18) and the south end Figure 2 (Fig. 27) and was also
first recognized as a woman by Thompson (1967:18)
and referred to as 'lady white parrot.' Lounsbury (1974:
15-16) and Schele (1974a) agree as to her identity and
refer to her as Lady Zac-Kuk or Lady White Quetzal, or
as Lounsbury (1974:16) points out, Lady ResplendentQuetzal (in another sense of Zac).
In addition to the aforementioned rulers' names
and dates on the sarcophagus lid and sides, other
rulers' dates are listed on the sarcophagus lid and/or
sides, the three panels of the Temple of Inscriptions,
the Palace Tablet, the Palace Eastern Court stairs, the
tablets of the three Cross Group temples, and the Tablet
of 96 Hieroglyphs (Mathews and Schele 1974: Tables
1-8 and Lounsbury Table 1). For the birth, accession,
and death dates of Palenque royalty, see Table 2, and
for known depictions of individual persons aligned to
Palenque sculpture, see Table 3.
4
Fig. 4. Seated figure on pier b, House D.
MEDICAL DATA WHICH APPLY TO
PALENQUE SCULPTURES
There are a number of pronounced physical deformities portrayed on Palenque sculpture which we will
demonstrate are accurate statements of actual medical
deformities portrayed as hallmarks of Palenque rulers.
This is especially notable at a time when power was
being consolidated and great measures were being
taken to reinforce this power by proving rights to
kingship, as from the early Otolum (ca. A.D. 600-700)
and into the Murcielagos (ca. A.D. 700-770) periods
at Palenque, when, as Rands (1974:37) states, "One is
left with the overriding impression that this was a time
of rapid architectural change when Palenque, hitherto a
relatively small and uninfluential site, was emerging as
one of the major Classic Maya centers."
Acromegaly:
One of the physical abnormalities depicted on a
ruler portrait at Palenque is acromegaly, a rare clinical
syndrome which appears to be depicted on the sarcophagus portrait on the north end Figure 1 and south
end Figure 2, Lady Zac-Kuk or 'lady white parrot' (Fig.
18). This abnormally elongated jaw is also portrayed on
the left seated figure of pier c, House A of the Palace
(Fig. 2).
5
Acromegaly is a clinical syndrome produced by a
tumerous enlargement of the anterior pituitary glands at
the base of the brain with the release of excess amounts
of growth hormones, resulting in an accentuated growth
of bones and soft tissues (Fig. 16). Its incidence is not
fully determined, but is estimated at less than 1 in
10,000 population. Rarely is it found in more than one
family member at a time and no recognized heredity
has been established. It is an insidious disease, often
present for many years before it is recognized and then
only by trained eyes. In fact the changes are so subtle
that close associates are less likely to recognize them
than is the infrequent visitor.
William Oser, at the turn of the century wrote a
description of the physical changes in acromegaly that
stands today:
The hands and feet are greatly enlarged, but are not
deformed and can be used freely. The hypertrophy is
general, involving all the tissues, and gives a curious
spade-like character to the hands. The lines on the palms
are much deepened. The wrists are much enlarged, but
the arms are rarely affected. The feet are involved like
the hands and are uniformly enlarged.
The big toe, however, may be much enlarged in
proportion. The nails are usually broad and large, but
there is no curving of the terminal phalanges and they
are not bulbous. The head increases greatly in volume
Fig. 5. Sarcophagus lid figure.
6
Fig. 6. Pier d, House D.
7
... The tongue is some instances becomes greatly
enlarged.
(Oser 1901:1142).
The person portrayed on the sarcophagus may well
have been afflicted with acromegaly. Her head is much
larger than that of the other figures and her lower jaw is
quite elongated and protruding, making her face a striking contrast to all other features. The tissue around her
eye is puffy and has lost its normal folds. Her mouth is
poised in an open position, perhaps having an enlarged
and cumbersome tongue; her nose is broad. The left
seated person on pier c, House A also has a head larger
than any of the other figures on House A piers, and
also includes the same abnormal characteristics as the
sarcophagus figure.
Some confusion arises when we look at the fingers. The hands themselves are enlarged. The terminal
digits could be termed spade-like which would be
expected of a person with acromegaly, or could possibly be termed bulbous as may be found in the clubbing
of chronic respiratory or heart disease (Fig. 17). They
may also represent the modular deformities of osteoarthritis, which is not inconsistent with acromegaly in an
elderly individual.
can predict the frequency with which the characteristic
is inherited, we cannot predict how severely the individual will be affected. Present-day thinking is that
clubfoot represents a form of polygenetic inheritance,
a disorder whereby minor deficiencies in a number of
gene sites determines the particular character. No one
gene is held fully responsible for the abnormality. Thus
while clubfoot is inherited, the occurrence is highly
unpredictable.
An individual with a clubfoot is usually able to
walk but must bear most of the weight of the affected
foot on the toes and ball of that foot. He is unable to
place the heel of the foot on the ground. There is a
decided limp, as one leg appears longer than the other.
Obviously shoes or sandals cannot be put on such a
foot. If the clubfoot is severe, there may be shortening
of the leg and wasting of the muscles on the affected
side. While the foot is partially missing on the pier b,
House D stucco figure, the internal rotation, shortening of the leg and downward pointing of the toes lead
us to speculate that this was a representation of severe
clubfoot. While an individual's dexterity might be considerably affected, there is no reason to assume that
his health would in any way suffer except as directly
Clubfoot:
Another physical abnormality, the evidence of
which shows up on the sculpture of Palenque on the
Palace House D, pier b in the left seated figure is clubfoot (Fig. 4). The figure on the sarcophagus lid also
shows incidence of clubfoot, but to a lesser degree
(Fig. 5). The principal figure of pier d, House D is
in the natural stance of a person with clubfoot. Also
the Dumbarton Oaks Panel 2 is in this same clubfoot
stance. The Simojovel plaque, referred to earlier, actually accentuates the clubfoot of the individual being
portrayed, leaving no doubt that clubfoot was indeed
being depicted.
Clubfoot is a congenital malformation in which the
foot is rotated and turned inward. It is accompanied by
shortening of the Achilles tendon and contraction of the
tendon sheaths on the bottom of the foot. It is usually
present at birth and readily discernable. True clubfoot
is only corrected surgically. The mode of inheritance
is quite complicated and may involve more than one
genetic scheme. It is irregularly dominant and with
sex linkage (twice as frequent in males as in females),
with low penetrance and great variability in expressivity. It ranges from less than 1/1000 up to 1/15,000. If
one child of a consanguineous marriage is affected,
the risk for a second child of the same marriage is
25%, for siblings with one affected parent it is 10%,
and with unaffected parents 3%. It tends not to skip
generations. Variable penetrance means that while we
Fig. 7. Detail of clubfoot pier d, House D.
8
Fig. 8. Dumbarton Oaks
Panel 2.
related to mobility. We would predict that the clubfoot
depiction on the Simojovel shell would have been
debilitating.
The person depicted on the Sarcophagus Lid may
have a lesser degree of clubfoot, which would be a normal expectation, as we shall see. At least we can see no
visible wasting of the right leg muscles as is apparent
in the disuse atrophy of the left leg represented on pier
b of the Palace House D. We cannot predict too great a
problem in mobility for the figure on the sarcophagus
lid. In other words, this person would have been able
to lead a completely normal life. In a relaxed position,
such as the one portrayed on the sarcophagus lid, the
foot would have a natural tendency to bend backwards,
which would account for the angle at which the right
foot and leg are portrayed. It is the right foot of this
individual which is affected, while the person portrayed on House D has the left foot affected.
The pier d, House D portrait also portrays clubfoot
of the right foot. Upon measuring the legs and foot of
this figure while working at Palenque during the summer of 1975, it was found that the right leg is consider-
9
a. Inside surface. Drawing after Miguel Covarrubias.
b. Outside surface. Drawing by Peter Mathews.
Fig. 9. Simojovel plaque: a mother of pearl shell 12x6.5 cm.
ably shorter than the left, the knee width is somewhat
narrower, and the foot fits remarkably well into the
pattern projected for a clubfoot in this position with the
weight of the leg under discussion being born by the
ball of the deformed foot. The Dumbarton Oaks Panel
presents the same problem as pier d, except that there is
no disuse atrophy evidenced in the sculpture.
Polydactyly:
The physical abnormality polydactly is portrayed
in a number of instances at Palenque. Polydactyly is a
congenial malformation in which there are extra fingers
or extra toes. The six-fingered man sculptured in stucco
on pier d, House A of the Palace is a notable example.
This standing figure has six fingers clearly depicted on
his right hand (Fig. 10). All fingers seem to be normal
in length, that is the extra finger is not a short protuberance from the side of the hand, but a finger of the same
proportions as the other fingers. All fingers have fully
developed fingernails. This is the only known depiction of a six-fingered person at Palenque. There are
however, a number of instances of portraits of six-toed
individuals in both stucco and stone carving.
The Temple of the Foliated Cross south door jamb
has a standing figure with six toes on his left foot (Fig.
11), and both Temple of the Sun door jambs show persons with six toes, the person on the north jamb having
six toes on his left foot (Fig. 12) and the person on the
south jamb having six toes on his right foot (Fig. 13).
In all of these cases it is the foot nearest the viewer that
exhibits six toes. There is no possibility that the sixth
toe could have been intended for the other foot, as in
each case the foot furthest from the viewer has been
placed so that the heel extends to the rear of the foot in
the foreground in a style of the Late Classic period, as
brought out by Proskouriakoff (1950:19-21) where the
feet of the principal figure are "in full profile with the
far leg almost hidden behind the other." It would therefore be impossible to see any toe of a recessed foot.
The most conspicous evidence of polydactyly at
Palenque is the right foot of the baby on both pier b
(Fig. 14) and on pier c (Fig. 15) of the Temple of the
Inscriptions. In each case the baby's right foot has six
toes, the sixth one being at the side of the foot next to
the little toe. In each instance the toe is fully formed,
complete with nail, and, although not as long as the
other toes, it is nevertheless more than a mere protuberance from the side of the foot. In both instances the
left leg takes on the form of a serpent rather than a leg
10
and thus has neither foot nor toes. Surely piers d and e,
along with b and c were portraits of a standing figure
also holding a baby, as enough of the stucco remains on
these piers to outline the baby and serpent appendage.
We assume that the baby originally portrayed on piers d
and e also was the same baby with six toes and serpent
leg. Piers a and f would not have been concerned in
portraiture as they are solely inscriptional.
The incidence of polydactyly, about 1/1000, follows a predictable pattern and is frequently passed
from an affected parent to child at a rate of 1⁄2. The
extra digit rarely affects the function of the hand or
foot. It usually is found on the side next to the small
finger or toe. Sometimes the digit is attached so slimly
to the hand or foot that a firm string tied securely
around it might cleanly amputate it from the hand or
foot without the risk of infection.
DEFORMITY SCULPTURES ALIGNED
TO NAMED PERSONS
Acromegaly:
Figure 1 on the north end of the sarcophagus (Lady
Zac-Kuk or Lady White Quetzal), the person we suggest
may have had acromegaly, may have been an ancestor
of Lord Shield Pacal, Lounsbury (1974:18) notes. Pacal
was King of Palenque from 9.9.2.4.8 5 Lamat 1 Mol
(A.D. 615) to 9.12.11.5.18 6 Etz'nab 11 Yax (A.D. 683)
as found by Mathews and Schele (1974:72). Lady Zac
Kuk's accession to the throne was 9.8.19.7.18 9 Etz'nab
6 Ceh of the Maya year, and she reigned either until
her death at 9.10.7.13.5 (AD. 604), or acted as regent
to Lord Shield Pacal before his accession, when he was
still only 12 years 125 days old (Mathews and Schele
1974:72), and perhaps even continued as co-regent for
a time after his accession. Lady Zac-Kuk is believed by
Schele and Lounsbury (personal communication) to be
identifiable with the lady of the Inscriptions east tablet
at N11-Q9. Lady Zac-Kuk's interment or death date is
inscribed on the west sarcophagus lid edge at glyph 47
as shown in the Lounsbury (1974) foldout. Her name
glyph is carved on the west edge of the sarcophagus lid
at glyph 45 and 47 as well as being carved next to her
portraits, Figure 1 on the north end (Fig. 18) and Figure
2 on the south end (Fig. 27) of the sarcophagus. The left
seated figure on pier c, House A (Fig. 2) of the Palace,
we also suggest, shows the same signs of acromegaly.
We feel that this is also a portrait of Lady Zac-Kuk, and
Schele (1975) concurs.
If Lady Zac-Kuk had acromegaly, she would have
been an imposing individual, as can be seen by her portraits (Figs. 1, 18, 27 and probably 2) — large face and
hands [and probably feet], and large torso. The torso of
the left seated person on pier c of House A is the only
one which exceeds the norm for patterns of seated fig-
Fig. 10. Figure with six fingers – pier d, House A.
ures on House A (Greene Robertson 1974). Her intelligence and ability to bear children would not have been
affected — at least not early in the disease and perhaps
not at all. Her life may well have been full, although
she might have suffered from headaches, visual disturbances, and even mild diabetes mellitus. With our present day knowledge of acromegaly, we have no reason
to believe that Lady Zac-Kuk's life would have been
adversely affected by the disorder; on the contrary, her
enormity might well have placed her in a greater position of respect and authority, one of regal bearing who
stood out above all other Palenqueños.
The scarification which appears on the cheek
of Lady Zac-Kuk we feel is in no way related to her
disease. It helps to reinforce the fact that Palenqueño
sculptors did indeed depict portraits of individuals.
The portraits of Lady Zac-Kuk on the sarcophagus as
well as the portrait on the House A pier, and the Palace
Oval Tablet, all portray this woman not only with what
appears to be acromegaly but with the scarification on
her right cheek, the scarification being merely a detail
of accurately modeling a portrait. As a matter of fact,
scarification on the cheek is far too common to be associated with acromegaly. Some cheek scarification as
well as tattooing takes on elaborate decorative designs
11
Fig. 11. Figure with six toes – Temple of Foliated Cross,
south jamb.
likely have been his name or at least part of his name
in Maya, as it is represented both iconically and phonetically in his name glyphs. The name Lord Shield
Pacal is the one that we will use in this paper to designate the person portrayed on the sarcophagus lid. The
right foot of this personage on the sarcophagus lid is
not aligned properly with the right leg for one with
a normal foot. The possibility of the alignment being
the artist's error has been considered, but for two reasons we have discounted this possibility. Firstly, upon
an exhaustive study of Palenque sculptural methods
(Greene Robertson 1974), it has been demonstrated that
Palenque artists were indeed exacting in their portrayals of individuals and are not likely to have made errors
in physical depictions of these individuals, and further
that Palenque sculptors did make numerous very different and characterizing heads in stucco. Some of this
sculptural exactness can be seen by overlay projection
of heads of sculptured figures from different locations
Fig. 12. Figure with six toes – Temple of Sun, north jamb.
Fig. 14. Baby's foot with six toes – pier b, Inscriptions
Temple.
Fig. 13. Figure with six toes – Temple of Sun, south jamb.
Drawings by Linda Schele.
such as is depicted on the women of the Yaxchilan
Lintels 24 and 25.
Clubfoot:
The figure carved on the sarcophagus lid of the
Inscriptions Tomb has been identified as a ruler of
Palenque by the name of "UAXAC AHAU" (MayaYucatec) or "WÖXÖC AHAU" (Maya-Chol) (8 Ahau)
for his birth-date by Alberto Ruz Lhuillier (1973:218),
by the name of Sun-shield by Kubler (1969:21 and
1972:318) and by the name of Lord Shield Pacal by
Schele (1974) and Mathews and Schele (1974). As
explained by Lounsbury (1974:ii) Pacal would most
as Schele has done (1974:89). Secondly, it has been
demonstrated that the position of a clubfoot, when in
a relaxed and hanging position, would be the same as
depicted on the reclining person on the sarcophagus
lid. The accentuated folds of the arch of the foot would
likewise be the same in actuality as depicted on the sarcophagus lid. As further proof of Palenqueño sculptors
striving for true portraiture by depicting all deformities
is the carefully carved "split toes" on Pacal's left foot
on the tomb lid. This was first thought to be a slip of
the carving tool, but upon close examination, it was
discovered that this was indeed a congenital split in
both the big and second toes.
Clubfoot that we suppose for Lord Shield Pacal,
king of Palenque, would not have been of such severity as to have hindered his functioning as ruler of the
city. We will show later on why we believe that his
12
clubfoot was the strengthening force behind his long
and powerful rule.
The identification of the person with the severe
clubfoot who is shown on pier b, House D of the
Palace (Fig. 4), the person seated on a throne about to
be beheaded in sacrifice, will be postponed until further
on. For the moment we would like to point out that the 9
Baktun 4 Katun notation on the pier, places it in a very
early period, 97 years before the death of a Pacal who
is mentioned on the sarcophagus lid edge and portrayed
on the sarcophagus west side. Therefore, we postulate,
this early date must pertain to some event very early in
Palenque's history, some event in the remembered or
rhetoric past, an event that may have involved sacrifice
and/or a person with a divine clubfoot.
As all of the piers of House D face the funerary
court of the Temple of Inscriptions and depict funerary scenes, it seems logical that the figure about to be
decapitated on pier b has some reference to ancestral
ties and ritual events connected with them. We strongly
feel that whoever this person was, he was considered
divine and could well have been an ancestor of both
Lord Shield Pacal and Lord Chan-Bahlum.
We feel that the person on pier d, House D, is
another portrait of Lord Shield Pacal. The clubfoot
being depicted is the same type that seems to be present
on his sarcophagus lid portrait. Furthermore, the facial
characteristics of pier d are exactly the same as Pacal's
on the sarcophagus lid and the stucco head which was
found under the great sarcophagus. All three profile
heads, by overlay projection, point out that these three
sculptured portraits must be of the same person (Fig.
29). Interestingly enough, the pier d figure wears the le
glyph of "regeneration" (Schele 1975) as an earplug, as
does the Dumbarton Oaks panel figure. Also the le is
worn by the figure seated on a throne on pier f House
C, a structure attributed to Pacal at an early date.
The principal figure on the Dumbarton Oaks Panel
2 has been identified by Schele (1975 personal communication) as being Lord Hok. Hok is believed to
have been the son of Chan-Bahlum who was the son of
Pacal. It is not at all surprising, but what would be normally expected, to have Hok, the son of Chan-Bahlum,
grandson of Pacal, and great grandson of Lady ZacKuk, born with a clubfoot. Chan-Bahlum is portrayed
having polydactly, Lord Shield-Pacal is portrayed having a clubfoot, and Lady Zac-Kuk is the woman ruler
portrayed with what we believe to be acromegaly.
The figure on the inside surface of the Simojovel
plaque displays the same clubfoot characteristics as
Fig. 15. Baby's foot with six toes – pier c, Inscriptions
Temple.
does the figure on the sarcophagus lid and the figure
on the House D pier b. In fact, the figure on the plaque
is in much the same position as the sarcophagus lid figure. Mathews (personal communication) has pointed
out that this plaque has a Pacal glyphic reference on
the back of the shell (Fig. 9). He also points out that
this figure has the same bird (owl) characteristics in
the headdress as the Figure 1 on the west side of the
sarcophagus who is also named Pacal. There seems no
doubt that at least one Pacal, a ruler of Palenque had
a clubfoot. Lounsbury (personal communication) has
suggested the possibility that the Simojovel plaque and
the figure on pier b of House D may be the same person.
The portrait carved on the west side of the sarcophagus
may also be a portrait of the same individual. The west
sarcophagus Figure 1 and the Simojovel plaque figure
both bear the name Pacal.
We feel that there is a distinct possibility that Pacal
the 1st, whose death date is on the sarcophagus lid edge,
and whose portrait is carved on the great Palenque sarcophagus, may also have his portrait on the House D
pier b and on the Simojovel plaque. We also feel that
there is great probability that Pacal the Great, whose
birth and death dates are on the sarcophagus lid edge,
and whose portrait is carved on the great Palenque sar-
13
Fig. 16. Person with acromegaly – courtesy of John J. Deller,
M.D. Director of medicine, Letterman General Hospital,
Presidio, San Francisco.
Bahlum, born on 9.10.2.6.6 2 Cimi 19 Zotz' (AD. 621)
and who was king of Palenque from 9.12.11.12.10 8
Oc 3 Kayab (AD. 684) until his death at 9.13.10.1.5
6 Chicchan 3 Pop (A.D. 702). Greene Robertson and
Schele, while working on the Palenque Stucco Project
felt, all along that the person with six fingers on pier d,
House A was the same person as portrayed on the right
hand side of the sanctuary tablets of the Temple of the
Sun and the Temple of the Cross and the person on
the left hand side of the sanctuary tablet of the Temple
of the Foliated Cross by reason of the very distinctive
profile — the very large drooping lower lip, somewhat
like that of Bird Jaguar of Yaxchilan.3 Projected drawings, as referred to earlier, of the three figures in the
three Cross Group temples depicting Chan-Bahlum
(Serpent-Jaguar) by Schele (1974:49) prove that the
profiles are identical. In addition, with the discovery of
the above-mentioned jambs of the Cross Group temples
which have made possible a comparative analysis of
the paraphernalia worn and royal insignia carried,
Schele (personal communication) feels that there is
now no doubt that the figure on pier d, House A is
indeed Chan-Bahlum. Chan-Bahlum then must be the
ruler with polydactly, six fingers on his left hand.
In the Andes, multiple digits were so frequent that
the Quechua Indians of Peru had a single unanalysable
word for it — ttapta — which meant "the birth of a
person with six fingers" (Lounsbury, personal communication).
Fig. 17. Clubbing of fingers – courtesy of John J. Deller,
M.D..
cophagus, has his portrait sculptured on House D pier
d of the Palace, and further that the stucco sculptured
head found under the sarcophagus in the Ruz tomb was
also a portrait of this great king.
Polydactyly:
The standing figures on the Temple of the Sun
north and south jambs (Figs. 12 and 13) and the
Temple of the Foliated Cross south jamb (Fig. 11), all
displaying one foot with six toes, have been identified
by Schele (1975) as the same person depicted on the
sanctuary temples in the respective temples, Chan-
3
From data now known, the six-toed baby portrayed twice on piers of the Inscriptions Temple must
be Chan-Bahlum. He is the only known person at
Palenque to have polydactyly, although with the inheritance factor probability, it would be suspected that
there are others. However, we know that it was a ruler
of Palenque who built his own funerary temple, as first
noted by Ruz Lhuillier (1957:119) and accepted by all
who have been engaged in study of Palenque. Although
this temple was mainly built by the ruler himself (Lord
Shield Pacal), it was not until after his death or interment in 9.12.11.5.18 (A.D. 683) that it was finished by
the next ruler, who would have been Chan-Bahlum. It
would have been only natural, and following the precedented pattern, for him to proclaim his inherited and
divine right to the throne by having himself portrayed
in stucco on the piers of this temple in a way that would
be a visual statement of his divine power. Lord ChanBahlum had six toes. The 819 day count connected
with Chan-Bahlum appears in pier b. It also appears a
second time on the Tablet of the Sun (Schele: personal
Tatiana Proskouriakoff has shown where portraits of Yaxchilan rulers Shield-Jaguar and Bird-Jaguar can be tied to glyphic
evidence, leaving no doubt whatsoever that these portraits were intended to be of these persons. Furthermore, their features
are so distinctive that they are recognizable on Yaxchilan monuments.
14
communication). The baby on the piers has six toes. In
addition, the name glyph of Chan-Bahlum appears on
Inscriptions pier f, which, although not portraying him,
refers to him.
A HYPOTHESIZED KINSHIP PATTERN
FOR PALENQUE'S DYNASTY
Now that we have established the fact that there
are a number of clinical abnormalities depicted on
Palenque sculptures, we shall offer some possible
genetic inheritance alignments in the ruling lineage.
What is known of the time sequence involved in these
clinical abnormalities shows that they occurred during
the reigns of Lady Zac-Kuk through at least the reign
of Hok, four generations later. The reign of Lady ZacKuk and, to some extent, the reign before her of Lady
Kan-Ik, would have been a time of great consolidation
at Palenque, a time in which many changes would
have been taking place while Palenque was struggling for power; then with the reign of Lady Zac-Kuk,
Lord Shield Pacal, and the subsequent reign of ChanBahlum, this power was attained and Palenque, "hitherto a relatively small and uninfluential site," as Rands
(1974:37) has brought out, "was emerging as one of the
major Classic Maya centers." Our genetic study of ruling lineages has been done independently of Mathews'
and Schele's dynastic interpretation, in order to see
how the results would correspond. We believe that the
genetic possibilities that have resulted from this study
Fig. 18. North Figure 1 on the sarcophagus – Lady Zac-Kuk.
4
strongly reinforce the Schele-Mathews alignment. Of
major importance to all of this will be the proposed,
admittedly speculative alignment of the first-mentioned Pacal (the person portrayed on the sarcophagus
west side), Lord Shield Pacal and Lady Apho-Hel.
We are talking about a time in pre-history involving a period of about 320 years, a time which began
about 9.1.10.0.0. (A.D. 465) at the birth of the ancestor
ruler Cauac-Uinal I, through the reign of Kuk, which
ended somewhere after 9.17.13.0.7 (A.D. 784), a time
which would have seen many changes take place and
many struggles for power.4
Cauac-Uinal I, the first mentioned ancestor king,
could have been the uncle or father of Hok I, or by
another name Kan-Xul (Fig. 26). They are a generation
apart and Hok was 38 years old when he acceded to
the Palenque throne. However with a 41/2 year interregnum between the reigns of these kings there may
have been another short-termed ruler in between them,
or the length of time may indicate strife and dispute
concerning rights to rulership, or some astrological or
other unknown reason may have postponed the accession of Hok until a more auspicious date occurred. It
is possible that kings took over their duties as the new
monarch upon the death of their predecessor, but did
not receive the official instrument of office until the
favorable day arrived, which at times may not have
been for several years. As no ruler is mentioned on
Fig. 19. North Figure 2 on the sarcophagus – Kan-BahlumMo'o.
Dates for this pre-history come from the Temple of the Inscriptions east panel and the Temple of the Cross, and have been
tabulated by Floyd Lounsbury and Linda Schele who have kindly given permission for the information to be included here,
although it has not yet been published.
15
Fig. 20. East Figure 1 on the sarcophagus – Cauac-Uinal II.
Fig. 21. East Figure 2 on the sarcophagus – Bahlum.
Fig. 22. East Figure 3 on the sarcophagus – Lady Kan-Ik.
Fig. 23. South Figure 1 on the sarcophagus – Kan-BahlumMo'o.
16
Fig. 24. West Figure 1 on the sarcophagus – Pacal the first.
Fig. 25. West Figure 2 on the sarcophagus – Lady Kan-Ik.
Fig. 26. West Figure 3 on the sarcophagus – Hok.
Fig. 27. South Figure 2 on the sarcophagus – Lady Zac-Kuk.
17
the sarcophagus edge, the case for an additional ruler
seems weak.
Cauac-Uinal II (Fig. 20) and Bahlum (Fig. 21), the
next two rulers who are only one year apart in age and
one generation after Cauac-Uinal I, are likely to have
been the sons of Hok.
Bahlum I must have been a parent of Lady Kan-Ik
(Figs. 22 and 25), the earlier woman ruler to have her
portrait carved on the Great Sarcophagus. We suggest
that it was with the 21 year rule of Lady Kan-Ik, who
ruled from 9.7.10.3.8 (A.D. 583) to 9.8.11.6.12 (A.D.
604) that there was a major change in the pattern of
succession from straight patrilineal rule of succession
to one that permitted women also to hold royal office.
The daughter always held royal status, and it seems to
be she who presents the designated insignia of rulership
to the new king, as pointed out by Schele (1975).
Lady Kan-Ik must have been a powerful person.
The Ik (T) symbol can be seen in many of the buildings
at Palenque and has been referred to as a window, the
Wind God's symbol, a sighting device, a knick-knack
shelf and various other things. Lounsbury (1973:11)
suggests that there was very likely a powerful Ik cult,
a "cult of the Evening Star at Palenque" and notes that
Ik is the canonical day for the first visibility of the
Evening Star at the horizon that is "just prior to the
Ahau helical rising of Morning Star." This starts the
new Venus-haab cycle. Lounsbury also suggests that it
was possibly a traditional name in ruling lineages and
given to individual females within the lineage — "possibly claiming descent from the Evening Star."
Lady Kan-Ik had at least three children — the first
mentioned Pacal (not the Pacal whose figure is carved
on the sarcophagus lid of the Inscriptions Tomb, but the
Pacal whose name and interment date is carved on the
sarcophagus lid west edge at glyphs 37-40) may have
been the eldest. This first-mentioned Pacal was not a
king. Aahc-Kan, king of Palenque from 9.8.11.9.10 to
9.8.19.4.6 (A.D. 612), whose interment date 2 Cimi 14
Mol is carved on the sarcophagus edge at 31-34, where
he is named as ruler of Palenque at 34-36, could have
been another son. A daughter could have been Lady
Zac-Kuk, the previously mentioned person whom we
suspect had acromegaly.5 She is listed as a ruler of
Palenque from 9.8.19.7.18 (A.D. 612) to 9.10.7.13.5
(A.D. 640). The interment date is carved on the sarcophagus lid west edge at glyphs 44 and 46. All of
these names and dates are in the Lounsbury (1974)
chart and foldout of the sarcophagus lid edge.
We suggest that the first-mentioned Pacal may
5
be the person portrayed on pier b of House D of the
Palace, the person about to be decapitated in sacrifice.
This person had severe clubfoot, a deformity spoken
of earlier, which may well have incapacitated him,
and which may well have been looked upon as having
divine attributes.
We are offering this hypothesis as a possible solution to several enigmas posed by this sculptured figure
on the House D pier and the reference to the first Pacal.
We have stated that the portrayal of this person with the
severe clubfoot must have recalled an event of earlier
years, a sacrifice of a divine person that we suggest
took place at the 4th katun marking date. It has also
been noted earlier that the first Pacal's interment date
is on the sarcophagus edge of the tomb of Lord Shield
Pacal and that this first Pacal's portrait is carved on the
great sarcophagus in the Inscriptions Tomb (west side
Figure 1 [Fig. 24]) along with the ancestor rulers of
Palenque, even though this first Pacal was not a king.
This first Pacal must have been a very important person, but the question arises — why was he not a king
if his portrait was on the sarcophagus, or why was his
portrait on the sarcophagus along with the other ancestor kings if he was not a king?
There also has to be an explanation as to why
Aahc-Kan, who was a king of Palenque and whose
interment date 9.8.19.4.6 (A.D. 612), is carved on the
sarcophagus lid edge (glyphs 31-33), but does not have
his portrait carved on the sarcophagus along with the
other ancestor kings and queens and the first Pacal. In
9.8.11.6.12, when Lady Kan-Ik died, it may have been
that it was not intended that the first Pacal ever receive
the throne. The family may have been divided at this
time, one faction being the Aahc-Kan group and the
other the Lady Zac-Kuk — Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o alliance.
It is apparent that although Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o was not
a king of Palenque, he was important enough to have
his portraits (Figs. 19 and 23) carved on the great sarcophagus beside the portrait of his wife or consort Lady
Zac-Kuk. Most marriage alliances pertained to status
negotiating of females as proposed by Marcus (1973),
who reports of the exchange of a woman negotiated
between Tikal and Naranjo rulers, thereby reinforcing
the prestige and legitimacy of an allied city, or as when
Tikal's Sky Dynasty sent a woman to Yaxchilan's Bird
Jaguar cementing the alliance between the Sky and
Jaguar Dynasties (Malloy, Rathje 1974:438). It is quite
possible that kings sent sons to cities of lesser status,
but with great commercial potential in speculation that
these sons could be able to negotiate favorable trade
arrangements and even eventual capture of the alien
Floyd Lounsbury (personal communication) has evidence to support the identification of the lady whose accession preceded
that of Pacal —Lady Zac-Kuk — with the "Lady with the Upturned Snout," the beast which is part of one of the Palenque
emblem glyphs. (Tablet of Temple XIV D11).
18
but desirable city and then produce progeny who would
further cement these relations.
We speculate that the throne of Palenque may,
then, have been seized by Aahc-Kan in 9.8.11.6.12 just
after the death of Lady Kan-Ik, his mother. This could
have been done to keep the possible rightful heir, the
first Pacal, from coming to the throne, for this Pacal
may have been close to his sister Lady Zac-Kuk, who
may well have played an important role in bringing up
the invalid brother. If Zac-Kuk was linked through her
marriage to Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o to an outside lineage,
one which may not have been to the liking of AahcKan, then he would have done everything to keep the
rule of Palenque out of the hands of either our first
Pacal or the Zac-Kuk — Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o alliance.
If either of these two became rulers of Palenque, AahcKan may have known that there would be an end to any
power he may have envisioned for himself.
We also suggest that if Aahc-Kan did seize the
throne, then a serious family feud or even outright
warfare ensued for seven years, when finally in
9.8.18.14.11 (A.D. 611) the first Pacal was sacrificed,
and we speculate that the sacrifice may have been by
Aahc-Kan himself, and then within the year of warfare and cunning, the Zac-Kuk — Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o
faction won out, had Aahc-Kan killed and seized the
throne themselves.6 Lady Zac-Kuk then became ruler
of Palenque in 9.8.19.7.18 (A.D. 612). This conjecture
is supported by several known facts: 1) Although AahcKan was a king of Palenque, his portrait was not carved
on the sarcophagus of Lord Shield Pacal. 2) No later
ruler took his name as was done with all other ancestor rulers. 3) The first Pacal, who never did become
king, had his portrait carved on the sarcophagus of
Lord Shield Pacal along with the other ancestor kings
(except Aahc-Kan), and further, 4) this first Pacal's
name and interment date are on the sarcophagus lid
edge. The sacrifice of such an important member of
the ruling lineage would certainly merit portraiture on
the great tomb. That he should be remembered by Lord
Shield Pacal in this way is a powerful reinforcement for
claim to legitimate inheritance from a person who had
the same divine attribute as himself, a clubfoot.
Lady Zac-Kuk, the woman with acromegaly,
queen of Palenque, and her probably highly important
husband or consort Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o would have
presented a powerful front to the city of Palenque,
then struggling for power. Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o has his
portrait carved on the sarcophagus on the north end
6
7
Figure 2 (Fig. 19) along with Lady Zac-Kuk and again
on the south end Figure 1 (Fig. 23), again with Lady
Zac-Kuk. We agree with Schele and Mathews in that
Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o was of a foreign lineage and not a
Palenqueño.
It is during the four generations of rule from that
of Lady Zac-Kuk through the rule of Hok that we find
the most secure evidence for kinship relationships. It
has been suggested by Schele (1975) that Lord Shield
Pacal was probably the son of Lady Zac-Kuk and KanBahlum-Mo'o and we concur.
The first-mentioned Pacal may possibly have been
married (medically this would have been possible) and
he may have had a daughter, who could have been
Lady Ahpo-Hel (Fig. 28, right figure). However, we
feel strongly, and genetic probabilities point to this,
that Lady Ahpo-Hel was the sister of Lord Shield
Pacal. Lady Ahpo-Hel was royal, this we know, and
she is referred to in inscriptional texts on the Palace
Tablet at B15-B16 as pointed out by Schele (1975).
We feel that Lady Ahpo-Hel was also the wife of Lord
Shield Pacal.7
We will come back to Lady Ahpo-Hel momentarily,
but first we would like to suggest that with Lord Shield
Pacal's accession to the Palenque throne at age 12 years
125 days, his mother Lady Zac-Kuk, who was already
Palenque's queen, not only acted as regent for him [she
did not die until 15 years after his accession date], but
may have taken the role of his wife. This could have
been in name only but we cannot discount the possibility of it having been an actual fact. This would not
have been as unusual as it may sound. Close marriages
with a family were not unheard of in past history; in
fact they were quite common. In the times of Cleopatra
and Ptolemy all kings and queens were brothers and
sisters. The first eight emperors of Rome were of the
same two families. The Inca emperors, the last three
or four generations before the Conquest, "became so
exalted that none but his own sister could be considered
a fit consort," relates Mason (1961:182). The Codex
Vindobonensis (Caso 1936) and Codex Bodley (Caso
1960) refer at least eight times to brother-sister marriages among Mixtec kings. We have mentioned only a
few instances relating close inter-marriage within families in past history, but as Mason (1961:182) points out
"incestuous marriage seems to have produced capable,
vigorous rulers."
Pacal may have been required to marry his mother,
at least in name. A divine person must marry a divine
The Mixtec Codices in Aztec times tell of Eight-Deer’s many years of warfare in the expansion of his empire, in which he
sacrificed male members of his own and conquered royal families.
Since this paper was written, Schele has found the glyphic text which indicates this in fact.
19
person. Lady Zac-Kuk was probably considered divine
herself, firstly for her massive head and jaw, secondly,
if she was the sister of a divine person (the first Pacal)
and thirdly because she had produced a divine son,
Lord Shield Pacal with the clubfoot.
Let us now look at the results genetically of a
kinship pattern such as we have suggested. With the
number of known different instances of physical deformities which occur within approximately 60 years in
the ruling lineage of Palenque, genetically there would
have had to have been a great deal of intermarriage.
There is no way of accounting for the frequency of
abnormalities of such rare incidence other than through
the pooling of genes within the family.
The first mentioned Pacal and the Pacal on the
Simojovel plaque are our best examples of severe clubfoot. That Lord Shield Pacal, if he were the nephew of
the first Pacal, would be born with the same deformity,
even if not as severe, is a likely possibility with chances
being 1/10. Lady Zac-Kuk, besides having acromegaly,
may have carried the genes for clubfoot. The chances
of Lord Shield Pacal's having a clubfoot would be
greatly increased. Being the sister of the first Pacal
she could well have carried these genes also, and as
reported by Smith, the well known geneticist (1970:2)
"a single localized defect in morphogenesis can upset
the subsequent development of other structures and
result in a syndrome of multiple defects."
Fig. 28. The Palace Tablet, right figure.
b. Tomb Stucco head.
If the children of Lord Shield Pacal and Lady
Ahpo-Hel were Chan-Bahlum, born when Lord Shield
Pacal was 32 years old, and Hok, born when he was
c. House D, pier b
d. Insc. Tomb Sarc. Lid
a. Tomb Stucco Head.
Fig. 29. A comparison of three sculptured heads at Palenque.
20
Fig. 30. God K with flare in forehand
and serpent leg.
40 years old, the genetic inheritance of clinical abnormalities would be great. If Lord Shield Pacal and Lady
Ahpo-Hel were cousins, the chances of another deformity would have been 1⁄4. If they had been siblings it
would have been 1⁄2. If Lady Zac-Kuk and Lord Shield
Pacal had been mother and son, the chances would
have been 1/10. Had they been no relation it would
have been 1/10,000. Thus it is evident that there were a
great many of the same genes in the ruling dynasty of
Palenque. Chan-Bahlum, the person with polydactyly
— six fingers on his right hand as portrayed on pier d,
House A, and six toes as portrayed on the Temple of the
Cross and Temple of the Foliated Cross jambs — we
feel must be the son of Lord Shield Pacal. We feel
strongly that it is also Chan-Bahlum who is portrayed
as the six-toed baby on the Temple of Inscriptions
piers. His name glyph appears on pier f. Chan-Bahlum
is the only known person with polydactyly at Palenque,
although we would strongly suspect that many of the
stucco heads in the Palenque bodega which resemble
Chan-Bahlum with the great protruding and drooping
lower lip are in actuality, other family members of this
ruling lineage, who would surely have had physical
deformities also.
THE SERPENT-FOOTED GOD K WITH
THE VOLUTE IN HIS FOREHEAD, A GOD
OF DIVINE RULERSHIP
We believe that it was at Palenque, after the death
of Lord Shield Pacal, that a significant change took
place in the visual representation of a mythological
part of the Maya belief system wherein God K with
21
Fig. 31. Tikal Stela 1 - serpent effigy. After William R. Coe 1967:92.
Fig. 32. Lord Shield Pacal (a) and God K (b) on the tomb lid.
22
Fig. 33. Inscriptions Temple pier b.
23
the flare in his forehead and serpent foot became more
often portrayed as the god of divine rulership.
The symbol of authority had long been a ceremonial bar with a god or grotesque head emerging
from the wide-open jaws of a serpent at either end.
Its early representations had a flexible body such as
portrayed on the Leyden Plate and the Hauberg Stela
(Greene, Rands, and Graham 1973:253). In its next
phase the serpent-ceremonial bar was held in a rigid
horizontal position high under the chin as on Tikal
Stela 1 and many of the Copan stelae. In some areas
the ceremonial bar was later held in a diagonal position.
The head or small figure within the serpent jaws has
been recognized by Thompson (1970, 1973) as God K
and he refers to this god as a "manifestation of Itzam
Na" (1970:224). Thompson (1970, 1973) has written
considerably concerning God K, and points out (1973:
56) that "the prestige of hereditary chiefdomship is a
necessary adjunct to claims of divine descent or the
divine right of kings," and that "Some, and presumably
all, halach uinic [Ahaus in all but Yucatan] claimed
divine descent" (1973:58). This claim was legitimized,
Thompson (1970:237) states, by rulers identifying
themselves with Itzam Na.
In many areas, after the 12th katun of Baktun 9,
the most prominent symbol of authority became the
manikin scepter God K with the flare in his forehead
and one leg a serpent (Fig. 30). At Palenque there was
a king, a living God K, as shown by the iconography
on the sarcophagus lid which portrays a Maya lord
wearing the identical headdress as does God K, the
flare god who emerges from the wide open jaws of the
left [west] head of the serpent on the cross motif of the
sarcophagus lid, as noted by Schele (1974). This is a
visual statement that this personage, whom we assume
to be Lord Shield Pacal, was apotheosized as God K.
All nine standing figures on the crypt walls carry staffs
surmounted by God K, again with the flare on his forehead and the staff a serpent. It was not necessary for
the Maya to portray the body of God K on the staffs.
The important aspects of the deity were present — God
K's serpent head with the flare in the forehead and the
serpent foot.
Once the serpent-footed God K, already a distinct
part of Maya mythology, was proclaimed by Palenque
as being the main divine rulership symbol, the idea was
apparently rapidly accepted over most of the Maya
world, being especially notable at nearby Yaxchilan.
There are only three known instances where this
type of serpent-appendage manikin scepter has been
TABLE 1: The Dates on the Edges of the Sarcophagus Lid
1.
Date and
location
in text
A (1-2)
B (4-5)
C (16)
D (18)
E (20)
F (22-23)
G (25)
H (28)
I (31-32)
J (37-38)
K (43-44)
L (42, 46)
M (48-49)
2.
3.
4.
Calendar Round
day
Placement in
the Long Count
Event
characterization
8 Ahau 13 Pop
6 Etz'nab 11 Yax
5 Caban 5 Mac
7 Cib 4 Kayab
9 Manik 5 Yaxkin
7 Ahau 3 Kankin
11 Chicchan *3 Kayab
2 Eb 20 Ceh (0 Mac)
2 Cimi 14 Mol
3 Chuen 4 Uayeb
1 Ahau 8 Kayab
4 *Chicchan 13 *Yax
13 Cimi 4 Pax
9. 8. 9. 13. 0
9. 12. 11. 5. 18
9. 4. 10. 4. 17
9. 6. 11. 0. 16
9. 6. 16. 10. 7
9. 7. 0. 0. 0
9. 7. 9. 5. 5
9. 8. 11. 6. 12
9. 8. 19. 4. 6
9. 8. 18. 14. 11
9. 10. 0. 0. 0
9. 10. 7. 13. 5
9. 10. 10. 1. 6
Birth of Pacal
Death of Pacal (at age 4.1.10.18)
Q: CAUAC-UINAL
Q: Kan-Xul
Q: CAUAC-UINAL
Katun ending: Bahlum
Q: Bahlum
Q: Lady Ik
Q: Aahc-Kan
Q: Pacal
Katun ending: Lady Zac-Kuk
Q: Lady Zac-Kuk
Q: Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o
After Floyd Lounsbury 1973: 6
NOTES: Date G in the inscription has 4 Kayab, which is not possible.
For the interpretation of the day and month signs of date L, see text.
For alternative possible readings of date H, and the reasons for the above choice, also see text.
24
TABLE 2: KINGS OF PALENQUE, BIRTH – ACCESSION – DEATH
465 A.D.
490
501
514
523
524
528
565
570
572
582
583
603
604
611
612
615
635
640
642
643
670
678
683
701
719
721
722
731
764
783 post
birth of Cauac-Uinal I
birth of Hok
accession of Cauac-Uinal I
House D, pier b date in eaves
birth of Cauac-Uinal II
birth of Bahlum
death of Cauac-Uinal I
accession of Hok
death of Hok
accession of Cauac-Uinal II
death of Cauac-Uinal II
accession of Bahlum
death of Bahlum
accession of Lady Kan-Ik
birth of Pacal the Great
death of Lady Kan-Ik
accession of Aahc-Kan
death of Pacal 1st
death of Aahc-Kan
accession of Lady Zac-Kuk
accession of Lord Shield Pacal
birth of Chan-Bahlum
death of Lady Zac-Kuk
death of Bahlum Mo'o
birth of Hok
birth of Chac Zutz'
birth of Chaac
death of Lord Shield Pacal
accession of Chan-Bahlum
death of Chan-Bahlum
accession of Hok
death of Hok
accession of Chaac
accession of Chac Zutz'
death of Chac Zutz'
accession of Kuk
death of Kuk
9. 1. 10. 0. 0
9. 2. 15. 3. 8
9. 3. 6. 7. 17
9. 4. 0. 0. 0
9. 4. 9. 0. 4
9. 4. 10. 1. 5
9. 4. 10. 4. 17
9. 4. 14. 10. 4
9. 6. 11. 0. 16
9. 6. 11. 5. 1
9. 6. 16. 10. 7
9. 6. 18. 5. 2
9. 7. 9. 5. 5
9. 7. 10. 3. 8
9. 8. 9. 13. 0
9. 8. 11. 6. 12
9. 8. 11. 9. 10
9. 8. 18. 14. 11
9. 8. 19. 4. 6
9. 8. 19. 7. 18
9. 9. 2. 4. 8
9. 10. 2. 6. 6
9. 10. 7. 13. 5
9. 10. 10. 1. 6
9. 10. 11. 17. 0
9. 11. 18. 9. 17
9. 12. 6. 5. 8
9. 12. 11. 5. 18
9. 12. 11. 12. 10
9. 13. 10. 1. 5
9. 13. 10. 6. 8
Post 9. 14. 9. 14. 15
9. 14. 10. 4. 2
9. 14. 11. 12. 14
Post 9. 15. 0. 0. 0
9. 16. 13. 0. 7
Post 9. 17. 13. 0. 7
5 Caban 0 Zotz'
5 Caban 5 Mac
5 Kan 12 Kayab
7 Cib 4 Kayab
1 Imix 4 Zip
9 Manik 5 Yaxkin
10 Eb 0 Uo
11 Chicchan 3 Kayab
9 Lamat 1 Muan
8 Ahau 13 Pop
2 Eb 20 Ceh (0 Mac)
8 Oc 18 Muan
3 Chuen 4 Uayeb
2 Cimi 14 Mol
9 Etz'nab 6 Ceh
S Lamat 1 Mol
2 Cimi 19 Zotz'
4 Chicchan 13 Yax
13 Cimi 4 Pax
11 Ahau 8 Mac
7 Caban 15 Kayab
3 Lamat 7 Zac
6 Etz'nab 11 Yax
8 Oc 3 Kayab
6 Chicchan 3 Pop
5 Lamat 6 Xul
9 Men 3 Yax
9 Ik 5 Kayab
8 Ix 7 Yaxkin
4 Ahau 13 Yax
9 Manik 15 Uo
7 Manik 0 Pax
After Lounsbury 1974: 6; 1975 and Mathews and Schele 1974: 72.
recorded as having appeared before 9.12.11.5.18 (of
the interment date of Lord Shield Pacal).
There is a 9.11.0.0.0 stylistic date given for the
Dzibilchaltun Stela 19 (Andrews IV 1962:22). The
glyphs on this stela however, are not decipherable and
Andrews IV (1962:44), in referring to Stela 9 from
Dzibilchaltun with a clear 9.14.10.0.0 date, states that
Stela 19 was about fifty years older.
The Etzna Stela 12 with the 9.12.0.0.0 date
(Proskouriakoff 1950:189) would place this stela with
a serpent-footed God K earlier than the Palenque death
of Lord Shield Pacal by about eleven years.
Tikal Stela 1 is the only other known example
where claim to a serpent-footed effigy god has been
made at such an early date (very early Baktun 9).
Proskouriakoff (1950:89) noted that on Tikal Stela 1
there is "a typical manikin figure, having a grotesque
face and a leg that terminates in a serpent." Thompson
(1973:64), in referring the Tikal Stela 1, states that
"The snakes are apparently elongations of a leg of God
K, the earth aspect of Itzam Na". The line drawing of
this stela (Fig. 31) by William R. Coe (1967:92) shows
manikin figures in the open jaws of the serpents at the
ends of the ceremonial bar, and also clearly shows the
25
TABLE 3: ROYALTY PORTRAYED ON SCULPTURE AT PALENQUE
Sarcophagus Lid, Insc. Tomb
Tablet of the Cross, left figure
Tablet of the Cross, right figure
Tablet of the Foliated Cross, left figure
Tablet of the Foliated Cross, right figure
Tablet of the Sun, left figure
Tablet of the Sun, right figure
Palace Tablet, center figure
Palace Tablet, left figure
Palace Tablet, right figure
Palace Oval Tablet, left figure
Palace Oval Tablet, right figure
Tablet of the Slaves, center figure
Tablet of the Slaves, left figure
Tablet of the Slaves, right figure
Tablet of the Scribe
Tablet of the Orator
Tablet of Temple XXI
Tablet of Temple XIV, left figure
Tablet of Temple XIV, right figure
Palace, House A, pier c, left figure
Palace, House A, pier c, central figure
Palace, House A, pier d, standing figure
Palace, House D, pier b, seated figure
Palace, House D, pier d, left figure
Palace, House D, pier d, right figure
Inscriptions piers, standing figure
Inscriptions piers, baby
Sarcophagus Figures North Figure 1
North Figure 2
South Figure 1
South Figure 2
East Figure 1
East Figure 2
East Figure 3
West Figure 1
West Figure 2
West Figure 3
Temple of the Sun, south jamb
Temple of the Sun, north jamb
Temple of the Cross, west jamb
Temple of the Foliated Cross, south jamb
Temple of the Foliated Cross, north jamb
Dumbarton Oaks Tablet, central figure
Dumbarton Oaks Tablet, left figure
Dumbarton Oaks Tablet, right figure
Inscriptions Tomb stucco head 1
Inscriptions Tomb stucco head 2
.
*
?
x
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
x
*
* .
* .
.
.
* .
.
.
.
* .
* .
*
*
x
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
x
x
x
x
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
* .
* .
*
.
* .
* .
* .
*
*
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Sunshield; Lord Shield Pacal
Pyramid Builder; Pacal
Jaguar-Snake; Chan-Bahlum
Jaguar-Snake; Chan-Bahlum
Pyramid Builder; Pacal
Pyramid Builder; Pacal
Jaguar-Snake; Chan-Bahlum
Hok
Pacal
Lady Ahpo-Hel
Lady Zac-Kuk
Pacal
Chac Zutz'
White Smoke-?-Na
Lady Propellor
Chac-Zutz
Chaac
Chaac
Lady Vulture
Chan-Bahlum
Lady Zac-Kuk
Pacal
Chan-Bahlum
Pacal the first ?
Pacal
Lady Zac-Kuk or Ahpo-Hel
Lord Shield Pacal?
Chan-Bahlum
Lady Zac-Kuk
Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o
Kan-Bahlum-Mo'o
Lady Zac-Kuk 'lady white parrot' (Thompson)
Cauac-Uinal II
Bahlum
Lady Kan-Ik, 'lady maize' (Thompson)
Pacal the first
Lady Kan-Ik, 'lady maize' (Thompson)
Hok I (Kan-Hok-Xul)
Chan-Bahlum
Chan-Bahlum
Chan-Bahlum
Chan-Bahlum
Chan-Bahlum
Hok
Lady Ahpo-Hel
Pacal
Pacal
Lady Ahpo-Hel
in front of name indicates that there is glyphic evidence that this is the person being portrayed.
in front of name indicates iconographic evidence which leads us to believe that this is the person portrayed.
after name indicates the possibility, but not certainty, that this is the person being portrayed.
in front of name indicates the portrayal of a physical deformity.
The names in standard face are those used in this paper, and credit is here given for the identification of the greater part of them to Linda
Schele, Peter Mathews, Floyd Lounsbury or David Kelley. Chol Maya names were given to many of them by the participants of the Primera
Mesa Redonda de Palenque in December 1973 (see Parts 1 and 2 of this conference Art, Iconography and Dynastic History of Palenque).
Names in italics had been identified by George Kubler prior to the Palenque conference. Berlin (1959) demonstrated that the glyphs accompanying the figures on the sides of the sarcophagus were these persons' name glyphs. Thompson (1967) named the sarcophagus south Figure
2 'lady white parrot' and the west Figure 2 and east Figure 3 'lady maize.'
26
serpents emerging from the mouths of the ceremonial
bar serpent heads. However, it seems debatable whether the serpent is actually the extended leg of the manikin figure. Divinity through the serpent was already of
major significance in the pan-American belief system.
If we accept the early Tikal Stela 1 as a representation
of God K with a serpent appendage, it demonstrates
that the idea of the serpent-footed God K had long been
considered important; however the manikin God K as
represented at Tikal on Stela 1 shows a different God K
than the representations at Palenque and elsewhere at a
later date. Changes take place. Features of the Palenque
God K are found lacking on the Tikal representation
— namely facial characteristics, lack of the flare in the
forehead, and the questionable (or at least debatable)
attachment of the serpent leg.
Acceptance of the Etzna stela date would also confirm prior knowledge of the serpent-footed effigy God
K, and the introduction of old ideas reaffirmed would
be expected for this northern area. Whether the early
Dzibilchaltun date is correct or not is not so relevant
to our argument. Exchange of ideas was taking place
between Dzibilchaltun and Palenque before the former
site was carrying on trade with the Peten core, reports
Andrews V (1974:137-147). He notes similarities in
tower concepts, vault construction, roofs, inset corners
of buildings, and handling of interior space. It would
be highly suspected that Dzibilchaltun would be one of
the first to introduce Palenque innovations, especially
one indicating divine kingship — God K with the flare
in his forehead. Thus a slightly later date would be
expected for Stela 19.
Seler (1902-23) first identified the god with the
flare in his forehead as Bolon Tzacab or God K.
Schellhas (1904:33) felt that God K "has an astronomic significance and seems to symbolize a star,"
whereas Thompson (1973:65) sees God K as the terrestrial aspect of Itzam Na and sees God D as having
the celestial aspects. Thompson (1960, 1970:224-227;
1973:58-70) goes into considerable discussion concerning the attributes of God K, and especially the
double flame-like motif in the forehead which he sees
as the maize plant, recognizing the vegetal aspect of
God K. In pan-American mythology, the serpent played
an important part in all aspects of their belief system,
especially concerning divinity and their gods. The face
of God K, Spinden (1950:64) noted, is derived from
an elaborate serpent. Schele (1974:60 and 1975) has
shown that the particular god of divine rulership at
Palenque is this God K with the flare in his forehead
and follows Michael Coe (1973:16) in believing that
this is the smoke curl of Tezcatlipoca, god of war and
rulership.
We feel that the belief of divinity of rulers through
the serpent represented by God K was strongly reaffirmed by Palenque's having a ruler whose divinity was
a visual fact. The clubfoot of the first Pacal became
the serpent. Lord Shield Pacal was born with the same
divine attribute, and it was surely he who first proclaimed this inheritance by having his likeness carved
on the sarcophagus lid wearing the identical headdress
as that of God K (Fig. 32). Chan-Bahlum, we feel, was
the one who proclaimed to all, his ancestral rights to
divine rule through the serpent by having himself portrayed on the Inscriptions Temple piers (Fig. 33) as the
baby, (the baby who is God K), whose arms and legs
have serpent markings, whose left leg is a serpent, the
head and wide-open jaws of which are being held in the
outstretched hand of the standing personage who holds
the baby. The baby is Chan-Bahlum. Chan-Bahlum is
the only known person at Palenque who can be identified as having six toes. The baby has six toes; further,
his name glyph is carved on pier f and in pier b with
the 819 day count connected with Chan-Bahlum. The
standing figure, we feel, at least on some piers of the
Inscriptions Temple, must be Lord Shield Pacal, father
of Chan-Bahlum. Both Lord Shield Pacal and ChanBahlum, by the nature of the physical abnormalities
of their feet, would have been divine. Their sculpted
portraits are proclaiming this to the Maya world.
Palenque, we propose, became a holy city upon
the death of Lord Shield Pacal, the only Maya city with
visual proof of a divine king. Chan-Bahlum was now
the living proof of divinity through the serpent as his
father had been before him. What a claim for a people
whose beliefs in a serpent deity extended far into the
mythical past! Palenque was the only center with the
living incarnation of a divine serpent king. This may
well have been why Palenque became, after the death
of the Great Pacal, a holy city, a great necropolis. It
may have been a Mecca where pilgrims, nobles and
rulers alike, all who could, came to be buried near the
dead divine King Pacal whose burial temple and holy
city were being protected by the living divine King
Chan-Bahlum.
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